U.S. patent application number 10/681678 was filed with the patent office on 2005-04-14 for igniter with a safety lock.
Invention is credited to Wong, Chi Lam.
Application Number | 20050079460 10/681678 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34422336 |
Filed Date | 2005-04-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050079460 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wong, Chi Lam |
April 14, 2005 |
Igniter with a safety lock
Abstract
An igniter (or lighter) having a safety lock includes a housing;
a gas supply in the housing and having an outlet valve; a
combustion nozzle fluid connected to the outlet valve; a
conventional igniter for igniting gas at the outlet nozzle; a
finger-operable slider for opening the outlet valve and activating
the igniter to ignite the gas when the slider is moved from its
rest position; a finger-operable thumbwheel having a lock position
for blocking movement of the slider from the rest position, and a
spring biasing the thumbwheel to the lock position, wherein
movement of the thumbwheel from the lock position is by finger
operation in a direction opposite to finger operation of the first
movable member from the rest position.
Inventors: |
Wong, Chi Lam; (San Gabriel,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Danton K Mak
Sheldon & Mak
225 South Lake Avenue
9th Floor
Pasadena
CA
91101
US
|
Family ID: |
34422336 |
Appl. No.: |
10/681678 |
Filed: |
October 8, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
431/153 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F23Q 2/164 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
431/153 |
International
Class: |
F23D 011/36 |
Claims
1. (Canceled).
2. (Canceled).
3. (Canceled).
4. (Canceled).
5. (Canceled).
6. (Canceled).
7. An igniter having a safety lock, comprising: (a) a housing; (b)
a gas supply in the housing and having an outlet valve; (c) a
combustion nozzle supported relative to the housing and fluid
connected to the outlet valve; (d) igniting means supported
relative to the housing for igniting gas at the outlet nozzle; (e)
a finger-operable first movable member for opening the outlet valve
and activating the igniting means to complete ignition at the
outlet nozzle when the first movable member is moved from a rest
position thereof; (f) a finger-operable second movable member
having a lock position for blocking movement of the first movable
member from the rest position thereof, and an unlock position for
permitting the movement; and (g) means for biasing the second
movable member to the lock position thereof, wherein movement of
the second movable member to the unlock position thereof is by
finger operation in a direction opposite to finger operation of the
first movable member from the rest position.
8. The igniter of claim 7, wherein the second movable member is
supported relative to the first movable member.
9. The igniter of claim 7, wherein the second movable member is
pivotally supported relative to the first movable member.
10. The igniter of claim 9, further comprising a projecting stop
member supported in fixed relation to the housing, and a dog member
formed on the second movable member, wherein movement of the first
movable member from the rest position thereof is blocked by
engagement of the dog member with the stop member when the second
movable member is in the lock position.
11. The igniter of claim 10, wherein the biasing means comprises a
spring being coupled between the first movable member and the
second movable member.
12. The igniter of claim 9, wherein the second movable member is
formed as a thumbwheel, a portion thereof projecting through a
portion of the second movable member for facilitating the operation
of the first and second movable members by a single hand
finger.
13. The igniter of claim 7, wherein exposed portions of the first
and second movable members are serrated for facilitating the finger
operation.
14. The igniter of any of claims 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, or 13, wherein
the first movable member is slidably supported relative to the
housing.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The present invention relates to an igniter, and more
particularly to an igniter that uses inflammable gas as fuel stored
in liquidity and having a safety lock.
[0002] Existing igniters of the prior art that use inflammable gas
such as butagas as fuel stored in liquidity typically include the
following:
[0003] 1. A housing;
[0004] 2. A gas storage element having an outlet valve connected to
the interior of the housing;
[0005] 3. A combustion nozzle connected to an outlet valve in a
storage assembly;
[0006] 4. An outlet control means provided in the housing;
[0007] 5. An igniting means provided in the housing; and
[0008] 6. A sliding switch provided in the housing for activating
the igniting means.
[0009] The manner of igniting such a lighter is to directly push
the sliding switch to release gas from the outlet valve while
activating the igniting means to produce a spark that inflames the
gas being sprayed from the combustion nozzle. Thus ignition can be
produced by a single action to produce a high-temperature flame.
Consequently, there is dangerous potential for injury if the switch
is played with or carelessly touched by children.
SUMMARY
[0010] One object of the present invention is to provide an igniter
with a safety lock that prevents ignition in response to a single
action for avoiding unwanted mis-operation by adults as well as
hazards exposed to children. In one aspect of the invention, the
igniter includes a housing; a gas supply in the housing and having
an outlet valve; a combustion nozzle supported relative to the
housing and fluid connected to the outlet valve; igniting means
supported relative to the housing for igniting gas at the outlet
nozzle; a finger-operable first movable member for opening the
outlet valve and activating the igniting means to complete ignition
at the outlet nozzle when the first movable member is moved from a
rest position thereof; a finger-operable second movable member
having a lock position for blocking movement of the first movable
member from the rest position thereof, and an unlock position for
permitting the movement; and means for biasing the second movable
member to the lock position thereof, wherein movement of the second
movable member to the unlock position thereof is by finger
operation in a direction opposite to finger operation of the first
movable member from the rest position. Preferably the second
movable member is supported relative to the first movable member,
for facilitating the finger operation by a single finger.
[0011] More preferably, and the second movable member is pivotally
supported relative to the first movable member. The igniter can
also include a projecting stop member supported in fixed relation
to the housing, and a dog member formed on the second movable
member, wherein movement of the first movable member from the rest
position thereof is blocked by engagement of the dog member with
the stop member when the second movable member is in the lock
position. The biasing means can include a spring being coupled
between the first movable member and the second movable member. The
second movable member can be formed as a thumbwheel, a portion
thereof projecting through a portion of the second movable member
for facilitating the operation of the first and second movable
members by a single hand finger.
[0012] Exposed portions of the first and second movable members are
preferably serrated for facilitating the finger operation. In any
of the above variations, the first movable member can be slidably
supported relative to the housing.
DRAWINGS
[0013] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the
present invention will become better understood with reference to
the following description, appended claims, and accompanying
drawings, where:
[0014] FIG. 1 is a sectional side view of an igniter according to
the present invention, the igniter having a sliding switch portion
being in a locked condition;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view as FIG. 1, showing the
sliding switch portion of the igniter in an unlocked condition;
and
[0016] FIG. 3 is a sectional view as in FIG. 2, showing an
alternative configuration of the slidin switch portion, in a locked
condition.
DESCRIPTION
[0017] The present invention provides a novel igniter that includes
a particularly effective safety lock. With reference to FIGS. 1 and
2 of the drawings, the igniter includes a housing 1, a gas storage
assembly 2 supported in the housing and having a gas case 21, an
outlet valve 22, and an inlet valve 23. In the exemplary
configuration of FIGS. 1 and 2, the gas storage assembly 2 is
located proximate one end (bottom) extremity of the housing 1. An
outlet control member 3 engages the outlet valve 22 for opening
same as described below. A combustion nozzle 4 is located proximate
an opposite (head) end of the housing 1, being mounted to a support
rack 5 that is fixedly positioned within the housing. The nozzle 4
is fluid-connected to the outlet valve 22 in a conventional manner,
and an igniting means 6 having an electrode 61 positioned proximate
the combustion nozzle 4 is also supported in fixed relation to the
housing 1 by the support rack 5.
[0018] According to the present invention, the outlet control
member 3 is operated by a first movable member that is blocked from
movement unless a second movable member is first moved in a
direction opposite to that of the first movable member. In the
exemplary configuration of FIGS. 1 and 2, a sliding switch assembly
7 for operating the outlet control member 3 includes a sliding
button 71 as the first movable member and a pulley or thumbwheel 8
as the second movable member, the sliding button 71 being mounted
on a connecting member 72 having a lower end 721 to which the
outlet control member 3 is affixed, and an upper end 722 that is
positioned for operating the igniting means 6 when the sliding
button is moved toward the combustion nozzle 4 from a rest position
shown in FIG. 1, the outlet control member simultaneously lifting a
core of the outlet valve 22. Preferably exposed portions of the
sliding button 71 and the thumbwheel 8 are serrated and otherwise
shaped for hand finger (or thumb) actuation as shown in FIG. 1;
further, the thumbwheel 8 preferably projects through a portion of
the sliding button 71, facilitating manipulation of both the
thumbwheel and the sliding button 71 by a single finger as
described below.
[0019] FIG. 1 also shows the thumbwheel 8 in a lock position for
preventing upward movement of the sliding button 71, the thumbwheel
being biasingly maintained in the lock position by a reset spring 9
that engages a radially projecting limiting portion or return
member 83 of the thumbwheel 8, another projecting flange portion or
dog 82 of the thumbwheel 8 blocking upward movement of the sliding
button 71 in the rest position of the thumbwheel 8 as described
below. Importantly, movement of the thumbwheel 8 from the lock
position thereof is accomplished by finger movement in a direction
opposite that of movement of the sliding button 71 from its rest
position.
[0020] Preferably the thumbwheel 8 is supported relative to the
sliding button 71 for translation therewith, being pivotally
mounted thereto on a bolt or shaft 81 in appropriate relation to
the sliding button, a preferred exemplary arrangement being shown
in FIG. 1, such that a single finger (or thumb) can first move the
thumbwheel 8 from its lock position to an unlock position as shown
in FIG. 2 and, while holding the thumbwheel so moved (rotated),
translate the combination of the sliding button 71 and the
thumbwheel oppositely, thereby shifting the sliding switch assembly
toward the combustion nozzle 4 to open the outlet valve 22 and
activate the igniting means 6 as described above. As further
described above, the movement of the thumbwheel 8 from its lock
position is against the biasing provided by the reset spring 9
against the return member 83, the spring being a cantilevered leaf
spring that is anchored on the connecting member 72; upon release,
the thumbwheel 8 returns to its lock position, the return member 83
being biasingly clamped between the reset spring 9 and the
connecting member 72. Unless the thumbwheel 8 is first moved to and
held in the unlock position shown in FIG. 2, the upward movement of
the sliding button 71 is blocked by the dog 82 of the thumbwheel
coming against protrusion or stop member 51 that is integrally
formed on the support rack 5. It will be understood that upon
release, the sliding button 72 is returned to its downward rest
position shown in FIG. 1 by suitable biasing means (not shown) such
as may be provided within the igniting means 6 and/or the outlet
valve 22.
[0021] With further reference to FIG. 3, an alternative
configuration of the thumbwheel 8 has a counterpart of the return
member thereof in the form of an axially projecting bolt or pin
83'. Also, the reset spring 9 can be provided in the form of a
hairpin wire spring as also shown in FIG. 3, the spring engaging a
cutaway portion of the thumbwheel 8 that is formed proximate the
pin 83'.
[0022] Although the present invention has been described in
considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions
thereof, other versions are possible. Therefore, the spirit and
scope of the appended claims should not necessarily be limited to
the description of the preferred versions contained herein.
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